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July/August 2008
Promising Approaches in Behavioral Health Services: Family Involvement in Managed Care Systems (PDF)
This paper from the Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health at University of South Florida's Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute discusses approaches and strategies for involving families in managed care systems, specifically focusing on two statewide and one local approach. The paper addresses requirements for family involvement at the system management and service delivery levels, the practice of relinquishing custody to obtain services, and program and staff roles for families and youth.
Advocating for Your Child: 25 Tips for Parents (MS Word)
This outline by David Fassler, M.D., offers tips for parents on how to advocate for their own child as well as how to get involved in statewide advocacy efforts for all children.
Communities of Excellence: 2001 (PDF)
This booklet describes the efforts of the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council (FICC) and Communities Can! to reinforce collaborative efforts in communities aimed at coordinating and strengthening service systems for youth and their families. The booklet also features each of the 2001 "Communities of Excellence" and describes how these communities made impressive progress to improve service delivery for children and their families.
Beyond By-Laws: System of Care Principles on Governance Boards (PDF)
This document presents five sample outlines of system of care principles and strategies for governance. These governance principles and processes are critical for families and family organizations to understand in order to support their participation on governance boards within a system of care.
June 2008
Building the Future of Family Involvement
The theme for the Spring 2008 issue of The Evaluation Exchange, a periodical from the Harvard Family Research Project, is “Building the Future of Family Involvement”. The research and evaluation findings spotlighted in this issue indicate what communities need to know and implement to move family involvement forward in policy and practice.
Choosing the Right Treatment: What Families Need to Know About Evidence-Based Practices
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) contends that the evidence-based practice (EBP) movement has gained momentum and families have a critical role to play. Children and their families have much to gain from the emphasis on EBPs because it promises improvements in the quality of services, increased systems’ accountability, increased provider accountability, and better treatment outcomes. Knowledge is power; the more families know about EBPs, the more they can weigh in on the movement. This guide lists advocacy ideas for families to become more involved in the EBP movement.
Kinship Care Resource Kit for Community and Faith-Based Organizations
Kinship care is not new. Family members and close friends have raised other’s children throughout history, but the challenges facing these families have changed significantly over the past two decades. Like all families, kinship care families need the support of their extended family members and communities to ensure that they “Leave No Child Behind". The Children’s Defense Fund created this resource kit to help individuals and organizations support this underserved population.
Evaluation Program Manual (PDF)
The United Advocates for Children and Families developed this manual with the purpose of promoting awareness of the value and purpose of evaluation for Statewide Family Networks, so that all stakeholders can participate. This manual can be a useful tool in helping family members understand the function of evaluation, as well as allowing them to take a greater role in the evaluation process.
May 2008
TIPS for Safe Driving
These system of care “TIPS for save driving” from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) serve as a “driver’s manual” for families involved in systems of care. This checklist of steps and tips to remember are meant to ensure that families have opportunities to acquire necessary information and develop critical skills to participate effectively in family-driven care. The TIPS are available in Appendix A near the bottom of the page.
How to Establish a 501c3 (PDF)
New or existing family organizations that work within system of care communities and have the desire to sustain the supports and services they provide must think of sustainability from day one of their origin or the beginning of their partnership. Many times, family organizations find that their time of involvement with a system of care community has come and gone, and find themselves at the end of the grant trying to sustain their efforts. Becoming a 501c3 organization expands options for donations, foundations, fund raising and grants. This helpful manual from the National Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center explains in detail how to establish a family organization as 501c3.
Strategic Planning
The Alliance for Nonprofit Management has developed two helpful frequently asked questions (FAQ) documents to help organizations develop and implement a strategic planning model. The first document covers the basic steps - getting ready, articulating your mission and vision, assessing the situation, developing strategies, goals, and objectives, and completing the written plan. The second document outlines the necessary elements your plan needs to incorporate in order to increase the chances of successful implementation.
May is Mental Health Month: “Get Connected”
This year’s Mental Health Month theme is focused on social connectedness. Mental Health America’s Web site offers several materials and tools that detail the role of social connectedness in promoting and protecting mental health. The Web site also provides information that can help you spread the message about the importance of mental health and wellness during Mental Health Month.
April 2008
Choosing the Right Treatment: What Families Need to Know About Evidence-Based Practices (PDF)
This family guide from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is designed to inform families about evidence-based practices (EBPs) by providing an overview of several effective mental health treatments and supports for children and families. The guide also offers information to help families make more informed decisions around treatment and supports for their children. Additional information on EBPs relevant to families is available in the resource section at the end of the guide.
Building Children’s Resilience
In their Winter 2008 issue of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly, the Children’s Heath Policy Centre has spotlighted “Building Children’s Resilience.” Resilience is not a strange concept to families and children who struggle to survive with mental and emotional health issues. This issue outlines the meaning of resilience, presents the findings of four parenting intervention studies, spotlights a review of parenting programs, and addresses frequently asked questions regarding resilience.
Families and Positive Behavior Support
The National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has created this Web page to describe the role families play in positive behavioral interventions and supports. Topics covered include: how families are involved in positive behavior support, key characteristics of schools with high family involvement in school-wide PBS, and how families are involved in individual PBS planning. The New York State PBIS Initiative is also outlined as an example.
Family Partners in Systems of Care and Wraparound (PDF)
This article, from the Winter 2008 issue of the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health’s Focal Point, describes the evolution and current status of the role of the Family Partner within wraparound and systems of care. Family Partners are peer supporters and advocates for family members who have little experience in navigating the mental health care system. The article includes information on what it takes to be a Family Partner, the support infrastructure that Family Partners need, and other roles that family members can fulfill in wraparound.
March 2008
Law Enforcement and Children’s Mental Health Roundtable Discussion: Executive Summary (PDF)
Citing evidence of many reported incidents of children and youth having been traumatized and injured by being restrained, yelled at, “roughed up”, or detained and incarcerated, the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) held a joint roundtable discussion to address this concern. The event focused on developing partnerships and promoting promising practices to improve outcomes of encounters between law enforcement and children and youth with mental health problems. The executive summary of this discussion could assist communities in starting to have conversations about forming partnerships with local police who could be involved with children and youth who have special needs.
Family Participation in Systems of Care: Frequently Asked Questions (and Some Answers) (PDF)
While there has been good progress in increasing family participation, there is still work to be done to fully involve families as partners in systems of care. This article from the California Institute for Mental Health outlines child and family outcomes affected by family participation, possible processes which influence outcomes, challenges to implementing family participation, and strategies that promote family participation in service planning and delivery.
Best Practices of Youth Violence Prevention: A Sourcebook for Community Action
This sourcebook can help parents and families identify effective prevention strategies for youth violence. Developed by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this resource outlines best practices for four promising strategies to prevent youth violence and includes resources to contact the people who have implemented these practices and seen positive results. The sourcebook examines violence prevention practices in the following areas: parents and families; home visiting; social and conflict resolution skills; and mentoring.
State Advocacy Toolkit
The National Alliance on Mental Illness’ (NAMI) national partner work group developed this toolkit to help with advocacy at the State and local levels. The toolkit includes information and tips on the following topics: effective State legislative advocacy; sample anti-mental health and anti-psychiatry State legislation from previous sessions; letters to legislators and governors jointly sent by our organizations; sample opinion letters and letters to the editors in response to anti-mental health legislation; recommendations on helpful ways for educators and families to talk about mental health related concerns; a fact sheet on improving the mental health and well-being of children; and a fact sheet on schools and families united for the mental health and well-being of children. This resource can be used by professionals and family members to teach and improve legislative advocacy skills and offer suggestions for additional advocacy activities.
February 2008
National Urban League
The National Urban League is the country’s oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to empowering African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights. There are over 100 local affiliates of the National Urban League that currently provide direct services through programs, advocacy and research. The National Urban League’s five-point strategy hopes to bring about education and youth empowerment; economic empowerment; health and quality of life empowerment; civic engagement and leadership empowerment; and civil rights and racial justice empowerment.
Helping Children Cope with Crisis: A Guide for African American Parents
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) worked with parents, professionals, and leaders of national African American organizations to develop this activity booklet. Helping Children Cope with Crisis: A Guide for African American Parents provides parents with age-appropriate activities and ideas for enhancing communication with their children.
Facts for Families
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) developed the Facts for Families Web site to provide concise and up-to-date information on issues that affect children, teenagers, and their families. Facts for Families is made up of nearly 100 brief fact sheets that are cross-referenced and searchable, and offers valuable information for all families. AACAP produced the Facts for Families in English and Spanish, with other translations also available.
Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Knowledge Center
The Annie E. Casey Foundation developed their Knowledge Center to offer a range of resources that focus on efforts to improve outcomes for vulnerable children, youth, families, and communities. These resources include data on key indicators of child, family, and community well-being; evaluation studies; emerging practices; insight and evidence driven tools and approaches; stories and case studies; and overview information on Foundation initiatives. The resources are categorized by work area, and easily searchable by keyword.
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